The First Arc

A stubborn curl of translucent tracing paper fought against the drafting table's mahogany grain. I stepped onto the rolled edge, forcing the crisp vellum flat beneath my boots as it crackled under tension. To secure the unruly sheet, I hauled a heavy hexagonal brass paperweight across the timber and dropped it squarely onto the corner. The metal pinned the curl flat with a solid thud. From the grooved pencil trough, I retrieved a sliver of vine charcoal. Dropping to one knee, I dragged the tapered tip across the frosted surface in a single, sweeping arc. A sharp black curve parted the white expanse, leaving fine carbon dust behind.